"Don’t let your circumstances define who you are." Interview with Mike Lambson

I was lucky enough to be interviewed by Mike over the course of a few weeks... The results are in the link attached! It was great fun and I have to say that I enjoyed the process (Mike is also a very nice person...so it made it easy!)

Please take a look and enjoy... & Follow @mikelambson on Twitter

"Don’t let your circumstances define who you are."

http://mikelambson.com/2012/11/13/author-interview-vanessa-wester/

Happy reading...

Vanessa :) xx

My personal highlights from the interview...

"my heart belongs to novels with some romantic aspect. I have a feeling I will write the genre that suits me… I am still dabbling; I only started writing under three years ago! I would love to be the next Agatha Christie, but I have a feeling I like romance too much…"

"I think I have a lot to be proud of. A writer is not just defined by their success, but by what they get out of their “art.” It’s the same for every other profession where people judge your work."

"When I start to write I go into a zone… The story tells itself, I’m just the writer… My head is a mysterious place!"

"I put the bare bones down first, then develop to add muscle, skin and extra details!"

"I have used some real experiences for inspiration. For example, in Hybrid, when Steven thrashed Caitlin at pool, that was me, beaten to humiliation by my husband on one of our first dates. I resented him for weeks. I thought I was a good player until then."

"I have had many compliments that have made me smile from ear to ear…the main one that always amuses me if when I get the… ‘I didn’t think I would enjoy this, it’s not my usual read…but I couldn’t put it down.’ My ultimate ambition is to entertain, to make the reader lose themselves in the story. Without a good story, you have nothing – that’s my opinion. You can be the best writer in the world, but without a good story…well, need I say more."

"Don’t let your circumstances define who you are. It’s easy to complain, to say you can’t. It’s harder to fight for what you believe in, to put in the extra effort."

"Don’t write for financial reward!"

"Anyone who knows me at all knows there is a lot of me in Caitlin. I am a swimmer, attended the University of Southampton, come from Gibraltar, LOVE sharks…etc. BUT…Caitlin is more…she can do all the other stuff I did not do! Steven embodies the man I would fall love with, but not necessarily end up with. He has so much of lots of men I have known or know. He probably does have traits of the first man I ever fell in love with (not my husband…ha ha). The other characters are inspired by different people or traits I know well, but I’m not saying who…"

"I have bawled my eyes out several times over scenes I have written. Actually, the Christmas Short I will be releasing soon, made me cry like a baby."